Local non-profit exposes students to careers in construction
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – October is Careers in Construction Month.
To celebrate those careers, FORGE, a local non-profit, kicked off their annual career expo at the Communiversity on Wednesday.
There are many jobs to explore in construction, but often, people are unaware of the opportunities.
FORGE Your Path is designed for middle school students to become exposed to the different career paths in construction.
“We just want to give them the pathways. We want them to understand that this is a rewarding career that we have here in our community throughout the state, throughout the United States. We need them and we want to show them what’s out there to offer,” said Melinda Lowe, the Executive Director of FORGE.
Various construction companies were present.
Many brought their equipment for students to test out.
“Laying brick, finishing concrete, doing the heavy equipment stimulator, getting on a mini excavator, it’s just an awesome opportunity for these students to learn more about skilled trades and potential career pathways,” said Lowe.
Aubrey Gray attended the event.
Gray operated one of the mini-excavators.
“It felt really fun. It was a new experience,” said Gray.
Nick Parish, the vice president of operations and contracting at Burns Dirt, talked about the variety of options in construction.
Parish said every role matters.
“Careers in Construction can be anything from a heavy equipment operator all the way to an architect or an engineer to a project manager to an accountant. We need an accountant just like we need truck driver. Everybody plays a role in this industry as a support to build infrastructure to continue propelling our society forward,” said Parish.
Over 2,000 8th graders from 11 counties were at the event.
This is the 5th annual FORGE Your Path Career Expo.
The event will continue until October 24.
